In Afghanistan, being Muslim is integral to being an Afghan citizen. There are no church buildings for Christian worshipers. To convert to any religion other than Islam is considered a threat to the integrity and security of the nation. Family, friends and anyone else who discovers that a citizen has converted to Christianity will exert considerable pressure, even violence, in an effort to bring the convert back to Islam.

Afghanistan has been a troubled nation for generations. When the British Empire brought its might to bear on this nation in an attempt to subdue it, the Empire failed and retreated in disarray. When the Soviet Union tried to do the same thing, it failed. Aghan society is deeply fractured by tribal loyalties. The geography is daunting for any military force, and no outside force to date has been able to conquer the geography, let alone the tribal culture

In Afghanistan, Christians are regarded as enemies of the state, which means that they are suspect from the minute their religion is known. The people reject anything associated with western culture, and despite the Mideast origin of Christianity, Afghanis regard it as a western intrusion.

Only local people can hope to make any inroads into the culture. Outsiders who want to help the few indigenous Christians must be cautious and be very sure of the people they contact.

Even this seemingly peaceful scene in Afghanistan shows the rubble of warfare that litters the landscape

By Katherine Harms, author of Oceans of Love available for Kindle at Amazon.com.

Images:
Flag of Afghanistan
Courtesy of All-Flags-World
License: Free to use with attribution
Source:http://www.all-flags-world.com/country-flag/Afghanistan/national-afghan-flag.php

Photo: Scene in Afghanistan on a peaceful day
Courtesy of Open Doors USA
http://www.opendoorsusa.org